Lehigh County officials announced Tuesday the county's 911 center can now handle text messages, following in the footsteps of the Lehigh Valley's other emergency dispatch centers.

Laurie Bailey, the county's 911 director, said the 911 text message system is live after about two months of testing. The system uses the same free software available in Allentown since April 2014 and in Bethlehem and Northampton County since March.

Ideally, people should still call 911, because text messages can take longer to receive and dispatchers can gather information more quickly over the phone, she said. However, the county has already fielded texts from situations when calling was unsafe, including instances of domestic violence.

"Call if you can. Text if you can't," Bailey said.

Texting 911 is still rare in the U.S., with fewer than 100 emergency dispatch centers capable of receiving 911 calls, Lehigh County officials said. Fifteen centers in Pennsylvania were capable of handling emergency texts as of June 16, according to Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency's website. Bob Mateff, PEMA's Deputy Director for 911, said the agency would like to see that number grow.

"There's an expectation by the public that these options are available. The technology has outpaced the backbone of 911," he said.

Even if 911 texting becomes more available, experts don't anticipate it becoming common. Mike Hilbert, Allentown's director of communications, said the city has received 127 text messages in the past 15 months. While most of them were unintentional, 49 of them reported real emergencies where first responders were needed. In one instance, a resident texted 911 when a burglar broke into his home.

"It was a situation where they feared they could not make a voice call for fear they may be detected," Hilbert said.

When people have texted, they've been clear about their emergency and what's occurred. That's alleviated concerns that people reporting emergencies would use abbreviations and slang common in texting but unfamiliar to dispatchers.

"There was a fear in the 911 industry that we would have to hire 12-year-old girls to decipher what people were texting to us," Hilbert said. "That is not happening."

Bob Haffner, director of Bethlehem's 911 center, said the lack of volume doesn't diminish the role of emergency text messaging. Pennsylvania 911 centers are required to carry teletypewriters, also known as TTYs, so the deaf and speech-impaired can call in an emergency. Text capability allows that audience to reach out for help when on the road.

Emergency texting isn't without flaws. If a texter crosses into an area without 911 texting capabilities, such as Carbon or Schuylkill counties, a 911 text will likely bounce back without going through, Haffner said. Text messages can also take longer to receive than phone calls, Haffner said. Even if they do go through, the 160-limit on characters and the process of typing out the conversation can delay the exchange of critical information.

"It's still very much an imprecise method," Haffner said.

911 Texting Basics

Emergency messages should be 160 characters or less and avoid slang or abbreviations.

Include the location of the emergency and be ready to provide more information when dispatchers text back.

If possible, call 911 rather than text. Text messages can take longer to receive and drag out the exchange of information.